Ah...

It's cold...

But... what am I laying on?...

Shizuo gave a small start as he felt the creak of muscles of a person shifting beneath him. He forced his eyelids apart, feeling a dull prick of panic as the world swam before him. He tried to lift his head, wincing as he felt a sharp throb echo through his temple. A soothing hand touched his forehead, gently brushing the hair away from his face. Shizuo exhaled gratefully, a shiver wracking his body. The hand dipped down to gently place his head back on their leg. Shizuo closed his eyes again, breathing deeply as he felt slender fingers trace circles around his ear. He made a small noise of contentment, allowing himself being lulled back to sleep.

Then he noticed the sound.

It had been a small hum at first, something he hadn't even registered in the background of his mind. Slowly, it started to escalate, a flat tone beginning to ring through his head. He flinched as it pressed against his eardrums, inflaming them with its incessant whine. He noticed that small vibrations were traveling through the hand stroking him, and dimly realized the person must be speaking.

He heard a second, slightly deeper tone ring from his right, and curiosity pulled him back to consciousness. He forcibly turned his head, squinting through his blurred vision. Two black shoes suddenly entered his line of sight, corners of a blanket trailing behind them. The hand on his head stilled.

Shizuo exhaled slowly, trying to concentrate. The tones seemed to creep out from all corners of the room, slithering across the tile to nestle in his brain. The deepest voice became louder, hissing angrily into his ear. The one above him responded lightly, so soft he could barely call it a whisper.

Shizuo flinched as he felt slim fingers travel down to grip his sleeve. He felt the cloth being pulled up, exposing his arm to the cool air. He closed his eyes, whimpering pathetically. A thumb pressed down, drawing a small circle around his wrist, measuring. A small pop echoed from above him and Shizuo felt a needle-thin point of pressure, slowly slipping through his skin. The voices shattered.

Liquid fire suddenly coursed through Shizuo's arm, burning in his veins. He shot up straight, lashing out his arm to grab at his assailant's shirt. He gripped and threw with all his might, hearing the resounding crack of their body against the wall.

Shizuo struggled to his knees, feeling his hands scramble on the tile floor. He gave a dry heave, flinching as his vision flashed white. Two hands descended to grip his shoulders, trying to pull him back down. Shizuo shuddered, trying to shift away.

He slipped, and felt consciousness leave him in a burst of pain.


You really think so?

I'm pretty sure.

It's working as intended, at least.

Are they here yet?

No, a tie-up at work. It'll be awhile.

I'm not a goddamn babysitter.

Whatever. At least he's quiet.

Oh, look.

Have you been awake this whole time?

Sturdier than I thought. Man, this guy's a monster.

Oho, he didn't like that.

Maybe…


Shizuo woke with a start, forehead drenched in sweat. He blinked, panting as he flexed his fingers experimentally. What… what happened? He groaned softly as his temple throbbed, and turned to bury his face back in his pillow.

Thump thump…

Thump thump…

Shizuo frowned as a dull, steady rhythm worked its way into his mind. He clenched his hands in the fabric, willing the sound away.

"Hey, hey. I know you're awake now. Get off."

Shizuo gave a start and tilted his head up. He blinked as his eyes met with Izaya's chin. Shizuo looked down and realized he had been burrowing his head into Izaya's chest. He was currently sprawled haphazardly over the other's body, pinning him with his weight. Izaya was looking none too pleased.

"C'mon," he whined, wiggling helplessly. "You've been crushing me all night."

Shizuo pushed himself off the other apologetically, who sat straight up and rubbed his chest.

"Geez, I never knew you clung so much in your sleep," Izaya complained, rolling his shoulders. "How old are you anyway?"

Shizuo sat up and looked around the room. It was small, relatively tiny, and bare of any adornments save for a small nightstand and three doors. He looked down at himself and realized he had been sleeping on a large bed, and was partially tangled its sheets.

"Where are we?" he croaked hoarsely, wincing at his chapped lips.

"Hm?" Izaya said, rubbing his neck, "Oh. This is my room."

"Ah," Shizuo said hesitantly, glancing around.

Izaya looked over at him and frowned. "Do you remember what happened last night?"

Shizuo shook his head.

"A little… I think," he said slowly, thinking back. "I was sick?"

Izaya grimaced. "Oh yeah. I had to wash that bucket out five times."

"And," Shizuo continued, staring down at his hands, "You left for a bit. Then… someone else came…" The pregnant pause forced Shizuo to look over at Izaya, who was staring at the ceiling. "There was someone else, right?"

"Yes..." Izaya said finally, crossing his arms. "Namie stopped by."

"Then… she injected me with something… and I blacked out," Shizuo finished. "Did all that happen?"

Izaya sighed and pushed himself off the bed. "You're pretty observant for someone who was hallucinating his ass off."

"What happened?" Shizuo asked, "Why did she do that?"

"Namie likes to play doctor," Izaya answered shortly, pulling open a closet door. "I assume she stopped by for research, but then she saw poor little you and decided to figure out what was wrong."

Shizuo looked over expectantly. "So what was it?"

Izaya paused and rolled his eyes up in thought.

"Men-ome-trorr-hagia," he recited.

"What?" Shizuo said incredulously.

"I'm not sure," Izaya shrugged, pulling off his shirt, "She said it's stress-induced. Messes with your brain."

"Oh," Shizuo said numbly, "Is that why… I'm like this right now?"

"According to her," Izaya said irritably, flopping down on the bed. "She gave me a carton of shots to give you to deal with it."

"I don't want any," Shizuo said quietly.

"It hurt, huh?" Izaya chuckled, "You hit her hard after she injected you. It was kind of worth it to see her hobble out of here."

"But," he added, inspecting his nails, "I do think you need them, Shizuo."

"Will it help?" Shizuo asked distrustfully.

"I think it already has," Izaya said, poking him in the stomach. "Haven't you noticed? Your speech is a lot smoother today."

"Yeah," Shizuo said in realization, "You're right."

"Also, I was a little bit stupid," Izaya said, reaching over the bed, "Catch."

Shizuo flinched as Izaya tossed a small packet at his face. He grabbed it a few inched from his nose and brought it down for inspection.

"Cigarettes?"

"Yeah," Izaya said, stretching, "It sort of slipped my mind that you have a nicotine addiction. That's probably why you felt crappier than usual."

"Oh," Shizuo said, fishing out a cigarette. "So these will help too, then."

"They should, but don't smoke them now," Izaya said, plucking it out of his hand. "Go drink your milk first."

"I don't want to," Shizuo said obstinately, reaching over for his cigarette. Izaya raised it higher.

"Nu-uh," he grinned, "Go be a good boy."

Shizuo stared up at him for a few moments, then matched his grin. "No."

Izaya yelped as Shizuo's arm shot forward and grabbed his own. He struggled as Shizuo dragged him over the bed and grabbed his arms. Shizuo rolled on top of him, and yanked the cigarette from Izaya's wriggling hands.

"Hah," he smirked, clamping the smoke between his teeth. "I win."

Izaya stuck out his tongue, twisting to kick at Shizuo. Shizuo determinedly pinned Izaya's legs with his own, then grabbed Izaya's hands and slammed them back down on the bed. Shizuo grinned in triumph and looked down at his captive.

Izaya was staring up at him with an odd expression. Shizuo blinked, startled. The other's eyes were glassy and his breathing seemed to have hitched. Shizuo felt his mouth droop slightly open in confusion, and the cigarette slipped from between his teeth. It bounced off Izaya's collarbone to land squarely in the crook of his neck. The other barely glanced at it before returning his gaze to Shizuo.

A bit unnerved by this new silence, Shizuo decided to keep Izaya's hands pinned and get the cigarette another way. Slowly, keeping his eyes on Izaya for any sudden movements, he tilted his head down and tried to grab the smoke with his teeth. He missed, scraping them against Izaya's neck instead.

Shizuo froze as Izaya suddenly arched under him, letting out a small gasp. He licked his lips as something foreign and electric coursed through his system as Izaya all but panted underneath him.

Slowly, he bent his head down once more and bit the same spot experimentally. Izaya quivered, tangling his hands in the sheets he could grip.

Shizuo moved his chin down, finding himself fixating on a certain area on the curve of Izaya's neck. Before his mind could process why, his body lurched forward and he attached his mouth to the spot, flicking his tongue out in an inexplicably practiced manner. Izaya let out a strangled cry, desperately throwing his head to the side.

Shizuo could now barely see with the fog penetrating his brain, destroying his though process. He moved his mouth slowly up to Izaya's own, hovering over tempting lips. His body was crying, screaming at him to claim them as his own, to dominate this man completely. Dimly, he realized he didn't know why. He gripped Izaya's wrists tightly, brushing his lips against the other with deceiving gentleness.

Ah… Have to….

"Off." Izaya said suddenly, twisting his arms out of Shizuo's grip. "Get off me."

Shizuo started as Izaya roughly shoved him away, slipping off the bed. Shizuo gripped the sides of his shirt as realization of what he'd been about to do struck him. He swallowing thickly, affixing his eyes to the floor. Why… why did I….

Izaya stood with his back turned, refusing to look at him. "I'm going to take a shower," he said finally, padding over to the bathroom. "Go drink your milk." Shizuo flinched as the door shut with a slam.


Shizuo popped the top off his bottle, sighing deeply. He ran his hand through his hair, nervously taking a swig of milk. The gentle hum of the shower soothed him for now, but he knew Izaya would be done soon. He fidgeted, gulping the rest of his drink.

This is… really irritating…

He nearly dropped his glass when he heard the shower cut off with sharp squeak. He placed his bottle on the nightstand, wringing his hands. He waited a few minutes, listening to Izaya move about the bathroom. He jumped a few feet when the door suddenly opened with a creek.

Izaya stepped out, towel draped over his dripping hair. As he hiked up his pants, he gave Shizuo a long look, who scratched his arm guiltily. Shizuo suddenly paused and looked up, determination in his eye.

"Izaya," he began, "I-"

His apology was cut short as Izaya suddenly flung himself at Shizuo, knocking wind out of the blonde. Shizuo found himself on his back when Izaya suddenly rolled off him, giggling with suppressed laughter. Shizuo gave him a scared look, disturbed by the sudden change in mood.

"That was for pinning me," Izaya grinned, pushing himself up, "And this…"

Shizuo stared as he found Izaya crawling back on top of him, a glint in his eyes. Izaya lowered his face till his nose was brushing gently against Shizuo, who was petrified by this point. He made a muffled noise as Izaya suddenly descended to cover Shizuo's lips with his own.

Izaya stayed there for what felt like an eternity, gently licking and nipping Shizuo's mouth. Finally, he broke the kiss, and pulled back smirking.

"That was for the other thing," he said proudly.

Shizuo stared up at him through vacant eyes, utterly stunned. Izaya waited for a few moments, searching for a response from the other. Bored with the lack of any change, he settled down on Shizuo's chest and closed his eyes.

He'll come around when he's good and ready.


AN: Hm, I updated. And it's not even September.

Good day.